The Best WordPress Editorial Calendars — And How To Use Them

If you’re serious about growing your e-commerce business through content marketing, you need a solid editorial calendar. If you work within WordPress, no need to sweat — these four great WordPress editorial calendar plugins are here to help.

What’s an editorial calendar? It’s the master plan that tracks your blog posts, social media campaigns, and other content to make sure it’s in line with your business’ goals. Got a sale coming up in March? Launching a new product? Tapping into a new market? Your editorial calendar makes sure you have a plan in place to support these goals with your marketing efforts.

WordPress is one of the best blogging sites for content marketing, and these four plugins make things even easier.

First, we’ll talk a little bit about what sets each plugin apart. Then, we’ll talk about the best practices for creating and using editorial calendar to keep your content on track.

Let’s get started.

WordPress Editorial Calendar

If you’re a visual person, WordPress Editorial Calendar is for you. The visual calendar display lets you see when you have posts scheduled — and it lets you drag-and-drop to change the publication date, and edit posts right from the calendar.

The plugin allows you to manage posts from multiple authors, but it’s no-frills design makes it the best option here for solo content creators.

CoSchedule

CoSchedule is an online app that links with your WordPress site to help you manage your editorial calendar and publicize your content through scheduled social media posts. The CoSchedule plugin lets you manage your scheduled posts directly from your WordPress dashboard.

I’ve used it before as part of a client’s team — and it’s really fantastic. Its steep price tag makes it less practical for solo content creators, though if you’re managing a lot of content through your business, it’s well worth taking a look.

Edit Flow

Edit Flow is a helpful collaboration tool that’s great for working with a team on your editorial calendar.

Along with the calendar view, the plug-in allows you to assign tasks and set notifications so that nothing gets missed. It also provides the option for editorial comments so your team can have conversations about the content as it’s being worked on.

Oasis Workflow

Another editorial workflow creator, Oasis Workflow offers both a free and a pro version.

The drop-and-drag interface lets you create steps along the content publication process — it’s helpful for managing multiple posts or team members.

Due dates and email reminders help keep your team on track, while the visual workflow lets you see what steps are coming next.

Creating an Editorial Calendar to Manage Your Content

Installing an editorial plugin to help you manage the content on your website is only half the battle. The other half is creating a system that keeps you on track.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. How often will you publish?

Ragan recently reported on blogging best practices from a pair of industry studies, and found that while frequency of publication was all over the board, the most important factor was consistency.

Choose a rhythm that is comfortable for you and your team. Once you’ve met your targets for a few months, consider increasing the frequency if you want to.

2. What topics will you focus on?

It’s tempting to simply create content about whatever interests you. But remember, the most viral blog posts in the world won’t matter unless they convert your readers into buyers!

Choose your main products or services, and use those as a jumping-off point for brainstorming content ideas.

3. What seasonal campaigns will need content?

As you build your editorial calendar, keep in mind seasonal themes — both in the wider world, and internally in your business.

You may want to create specific content themes around product launches, sales, peak shopping seasons, and more. By planning your content ahead, you won’t miss those important windows.

4. What audiences are you targeting?

Do you have multiple target audiences? Make sure your editorial calendar includes content aimed at the various customer bases you may have.

Or, alternately, you may want to identify a target market that you want to build up, and focus on creating content there, instead.

5. Who is responsible for creating the content?

An editorial calendar is just a list of possible topics unless there’s a sense of accountability involved. Make sure every member of your team knows what their deadlines are and what they’re responsible for.

If you’re a one-person shop, find a different way to create accountability with yourself. Connect with another business owner, or join an online group for content creators to find yourself an accountability buddy.

An editorial calendar can be a powerful tool to keep yourself on track with your content marketing goals and help you grow your e-commerce business. Do you use one in your own business? Let us know in the comments.